Kay, Gary, and Dean, family and friends of Chuck:
Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen!
[Intro]
“Let not your hearts be troubled” (John 14:1). Jesus spoke those comforting words to His disciples to assure them that His coming departure would not be forever. This morning, Christ also speaks those words to you: “Let not your hearts be troubled” to strengthen our faith.
Although Chuck’s death was expected, our sinful nature is still troubled at the loss of any loved one, since any separation causes grief. We are at a loss since mankind was not intended to die. Mankind was intended to be immortal, since we were all created in the image of God. But, due to the disobedience of our first parents – Adam and Eve – immortality soon became mortality, as they fell into sin and “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23a).
But although we die due to sin, the one true God is not an unfaithful God. No! He is faithful! He is loyal! The Apostle Paul writes: “For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:21-22).
Although, we were dead in our trespasses and sins, God the Father sent His only begotten Son Jesus Christ as the propitiation for our trespasses and sins, so that everyone who trusts in Christ shall live! Although, we see the wages of sin before us this day, in Christ, Chuck has received the free gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23b).
This morning, we share this sure and certain hope that because Christ lives, everyone in Christ also lives! We may still grieve, but we grieve in the sure and certain hope that we will see our loved ones again who have died in the faith.
Today we are here to remember Chuck’s life, but most importantly we are here to celebrate Christ’s victory over death that Chuck and all the faithful receive. Chuck was certainly blessed by God throughout all of his life. He was blessed to have a loving wife Renae. He was blessed with three children: Kay, Gary, and Dean. He was blessed to be a grandfather, uncle, and friend to many.
For most of his life, he was a dairy farmer and when he finally retired, he joked that he was finally able to work only 40 hours a week. He enjoyed hunting, woodworking, and attending the Tuesday night Men’s Network Bible Studies. Throughout his life, he remained faithful to his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Within his Christian vocation, he served in various positions at First Lutheran Church, including as congregational president and deacon. He also participated on the constitution committee and the men’s club.
Chuck was faithful to His Lord throughout his earthly life. He trusted in his Lord, because “the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases” (Lamentations 3:22a). Due to his faith and trust in Jesus, Chuck has been numbered among the faithful.
For Chuck, he knew the source of salvation. He trusted in Jesus whole heartedly as the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. He trusted in Jesus as the only Way to God the Father (John 14:6). On Tuesday, December 14, he received his inheritance as he has been numbered among the faithful in the Church Triumphant in heaven.
[Great Is Your Faithfulness]
In our reading from Lamentations 3, we see that knowing the one true God – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – as the source of salvation was not always a given. You see, Jeremiah, writer of Lamentations, was at the point of despair. Israel had been exiled to Babylon and Jerusalem was in ruins. Out of this suffering, the Holy Spirit reminded Jeremiah this fact: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases” (Lamentations 3:22a). From the Holy Spirit working through him, God gave him hope.
In the midst of suffering and doubt, God restores His relationship with Jeremiah. With the restored relationship, Jeremiah begins speaking to God rather than about Him. In the beginning of his prayer, he says: “Great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:23b). Note that he didn’t say: Great is God’s faithfulness, but “Great is your faithfulness.”
For us, we encounter God according to where He promises to be – in His Word and Sacraments. And His promises never fail. Here, He speaks to us His unchanging and certain Word and He forgives us our sins. Through His Means of Grace, God shows His steadfast love for us. It is God who kept Chuck close to Him and strengthened his faith – just as He keeps us close to Him through His Word and Sacraments and strengthens our faith.
We know of His steadfast love in the life, death, and bodily resurrection of Jesus. There upon the cross, God revealed His love, once for all time. Using a Roman instrument of torture, God wrote His faithfulness in the landscape of history. His love is so great that He bore the judgment of our sin for us. His love is so great that He promises eternal life to us.
While in this sinful world, we will have suffering and doubt. But in the midst of this, we have hope knowing that Jesus is at the right hand of God the Father interceding for us, and there is nothing we bear that Jesus has not ultimately overcome.
After Jeremiah remembers God’s faithfulness, suddenly he begins to live in hope. You see, God’s faithfulness guides our lives in hope that is sure and certain.
For everyone in Christ, they have received the promises of God – by grace through faith in Him. They have received “the Lord is my portion” (Lamentations 3:24a). You would think that one’s portion was something that you would gain in battle. So, after that fighting, the spoils of war were divided, and each warrior received his portion.
However, this time, the Lord has fought for us. The Lord has fought the power of sin, death, and Satan and the Lord has won. And now the Lord chooses to give Himself as a portion to His people. They receive not the winnings of battle, but the One who wins the battle. The Lord is their portion.
When Jesus is your portion, you will live in hope. The One who created the universe, the One who defeated death and the devil, the One who forgives your sin is on your side. He fights for you.
By grace through faith in Christ alone, Chuck has received his portion. He has received His inheritance and is numbered among the faithful. He has joined the heavenly banquet and is receiving “a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined” (Isaiah 25:6). He is in the presence of His Lord and Savior who has wiped away every tear from his eyes. He is at perfect peace since death has no more power over him. He no longer suffers any of the effects of sin. At the same time, he and all the faithful in the Church Triumphant await Christ’s coming again on the Last Day.
Remember, God has given us the promise of His faithfulness through His Means of Grace – Word and Sacraments – that strengthens our faith, and we see His faithfulness by looking at the cross. There, outside the city of Jerusalem, God the Father condemned His only begotten Son to death that He might bear for us the sins of the entire world. Now, risen from the dead, and ascended into heaven, Jesus proclaims God’s steadfast love to you and all people. God’s faithfulness is great. It is great in its power to forgive you your sins. It is great in its extent, lasting generation to generation. And God’s faithfulness guides our lives in the sure and certain hope until Christ returns in glory.
ref Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
Text: Public domain
May we receive the same portion – the inheritance – that is, victory over death and the grave, that Chuck has received by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, since He who promises is always faithful. Amen.
The peace of God which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.
T SOLI DEO GLORIA T
Chuck Jensen's Obituary: https://hantge.com/obituaries/charles-chuck-henry-jensen/
No comments:
Post a Comment